


Not Without Cause

by grapenight



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Louis, Alternate Universe, Famous Harry, M/M, Musician Harry, Non-Famous Louis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-05-03 20:32:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5305844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grapenight/pseuds/grapenight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is a college student who gets a role in a Harry Styles' music video.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what filming a music video actually entails, and obviously a lot of the information involving business or whatever it just what I made up. The music video is similar to Perfect, but not exactly the same.
> 
> Harry and Liam are from England, as they are in real life, but Louis, Niall, and Zayn are all American. (Because really, I know its a joke that Niall is from Ohio, but he could literally be from Ohio. I can see it)
> 
> Enjoy, and feel free to ask me any questions, or clarify anything.

"You're going to be in a music video? Of an actual famous person? And you're complaining?" Zayn asked, astounded by how casually Louis mentioned his new job. 

Louis shrugged, "It's not like people will really see me. It'll probably just be me in some huge crowd, dancing around. It's not a big deal." 

"But you're going to meet a famous band!" Zayn exclaimed. 

Louis figured with his luck, he'd be in the music video of some washed up artist in their fifties. He wasn't expecting much out of the job. "I doubt it. Will you just drop it? Besides, I have to get up at six in the morning for this shit, and I'm not even getting paid." 

That bit of information did make Zayn flinch, rightfully so, Louis thought. He would do the music video, and nothing good would come from it, expect another item to add to his resume. 

When the project had first been introduced in class, Louis had been thrilled. "We've been given several opportunities in different positions, ranging from television, to movies, to commercials, or even music videos," had been his professor's exact words. "We have a limited number of these opportunities, and you must apply for them. Anyone who is not chosen will get their project requirement filled through this semester's play. While participating in the play is encouraged to all of you, it is much more impressive to have these experiences outside of the school on your resume. Additionally, being in one of the roles will reflect positively on your grade, so I suggest you try your hardest on this application, and submit your best piece of work." 

The professor's words had motivated to try his hardest, and he had spent countless hours making sure every answer on his application was perfect, and even more time rewatching the old videos from his various performances. He was determined to get a job, and he was aiming for the best. 

That's why he had been crushed by landing a spot as an extra in a music video. Another guy in his class, Steve, who was forgettable in every manner, had landed a small role in a movie with Brad Pitt. Even though the role was small, he got to work with known actors and a respected director, getting his name out in the world (even though Steve Smith is an extremely forgettable name, Louis had thought to himself bitterly), while Louis was just in a music video. One that would be four minutes long at the most. A small part in a music video would go completely unnoticed. To make matters even more worse, he wasn't even given the name of the artist, the song, or the director. His immediate thoughts were that they were too insignificant to even be mentioned. The only information he received was a place, a time, and the weight of his crushed dreams. 

His disappointment in himself is why he didn't mention his role to Zayn, his best friend and roommate, until the day before the job, which prompted Zayn's confusion. Louis usually told him everything, usually whether or not he wanted to hear it. 

"It might be better than you expect," Zayn said, finally. "After all, it's still a music video, no matter what. There's bound to be tons of people that see it. Hell, I'll watch it a hundred times myself." 

Louis smiled at him, "And what happens when it's for the most annoyingly cheesy country band ever? You're still going to watch it?" 

Zayn nodded, "Just put it on mute, won't I?" 

Louis laughed, and threw his arm around Zayn's shoulder, "That's why you're my best friend." 

"Don't get all sappy on me now, I'm going on a date soon, I don't have time to mop up your tears over how wonderful of a friend I am," Zayn insisted. 

Louis pulled himself away from Zayn and lied down dramatically on the couch, "They always leave me like this, don't they? Heartbroken Louis, left just as he was praising the special connection between himself and his best friend. All alone. Nothing but ice cream left to collect drown his tears out." 

Zayn patted his head, and strolled to the door to put his shoes on. "Sorry, but my date is too lovely for me to pass up. Also, we're out of ice cream, which you should already know, because you're the one who eats it all." 

"I do not!" Louis protested. "But that is beside the point, why haven't you bought more?" 

"It's your turn to buy groceries, Lou," Zayn reminded him. "So I'm going to go now, and instead of moping about the awesome job you have tomorrow, you can go grocery shopping." 

"Not only leaving me alone on a Friday night, but also making me go grocery shopping? I really must find a better best friend. And here I was praising you, not even five minutes ago." 

Zayn had no reply other than to laugh, and leave, shutting the door behind him. 

Louis does the grocery shopping, despite his complaining, if only to restock on ice cream. He buys Zayn an extra box of his favorite cereal, anyways, truly showing how much Zayn's support meant to him, even though Zayn left him all alone. Louis really was a great friend. 

 

 

Louis' alarm went off loudly at exactly six the next morning. He groaned, and reached out, slapping his phone a few times until the sound eventually cut off. He debated going back to sleep for a second, before he decided that his role in the music video and his consequent grade were more important than a few extra hours of sleep. Even if the role turned out to be absolutely tiny, or for a completely unknown band. Any form of experience with a professional acting scene would be beneficial, he had concluded the night before, after a couple hours of mourning the loss of a role like the one Steve had received. Even a good role couldn't save Steve from being a boring asshole, Louis knew he had the upper hand there. And at this point, as Louis was going to graduate at the end of this school year, he needed anything he could get to put on his resume. 

After only ten minutes of lying in bed, too lazy to move, Louis finally got up, and began getting ready. He hadn't received any instructions on what to wear, so he assumed they must have a styling department to fix him to look how he was supposed to. Or they didn't really care what he looked like, either seemed like a viable option. He dressed simply, just black skinny jeans and a blue t-shirt, and did his hair in its usual slightly messy fringe. 

The ride to the location was only about fifteen minutes, according to the GPS on Louis' phone, and he was glad to see that he didn't run into any traffic. Being that it was only six in the morning, though, on a Saturday, that made sense. He wouldn't be up at this time if he had any choice. 

When he reached his destination, about fifteen minutes early, he was surprised to see it was a hotel. It certainly wasn't what Louis had expected, and he double checked the address to make sure he had the correct place. The 445 on the side of the building, and the street sign matched the address on the piece of paper Louis had received, so it must have been the correct place. It was sketchy, but the hotel did seem nice, which was only proven to be correct when he walked into the building. The floors were extremely shiny, and the front desk was centered in the middle of the huge room, two grand staircases framing either side, with various plush couches and chairs spread throughout the room in small seating areas. The windows at the far back had deep red, seemingly very expensive curtains. It was fair nicer than the hotels Louis was accustomed to staying in for family vacations. 

He walked up to the front desk, feeling extremely out of place. A grand chandelier hung right over the desk, matching the ones spread throughout the room. Louis concluded that the crystals adorning the chandelier were more than likely real, and he felt even more awkward. The receptionist looked up at him as he approached, and smiled, "How may I help you, sir?" 

'Sir' wasn't a title Louis heard often. He got a lot more 'kid's and even a few 'loser's, although the latter mostly came from one of his younger sisters. "Um, I'm here for a music video?" Louis tried. He really wished he had more information to give, because this was one of the strangest situations he had ever been in. 

"Oh, yes, what is your name?" The receptionist said, typing on the computer in front of her. 

"Louis Tomlinson." He prayed they actually had his name down, because he didn't know what he would do otherwise. Would he fail the class if he was unable to do the project due to things out of his control? He hoped not. Maybe his professor would understand when he informed her of how truly sketchy the entire ordeal was. 

"Okay, Mr. Tomlinson, here's your key. Good luck today, I'm excited to see the outcome!" She said, smiling brightly as she held out a key card for Louis to take. 

He smiled and nodded as he took the card. She evidently knew who the music video was for, and he considered asking who it was, but he decided not to, since it would seem a bit strange to not even know what he was doing. Never mind the fact that it was quite strange, and Louis was confused, he didn't want to appear that way to random strangers. 

He approached the elevator off to the left side of the desk, and pressed the button. It arrived with a soft chime, a very lovely sound for an elevator. He got in and pressed the button for the top floor. The floor of the elevator matched the designs on the floor in the lobby, and the entire thing was very clean and pristine. When he reached the top floor, the elevator chimed, the same as before, and the doors opened to reveal several people hurrying around, some holding clothes, other's with coffee, and a few with cameras and other equipment. Louis walked out of the elevator and stood there, unsure who to approach. 

He wasn't given long to think before someone ran into him, squishing a doughnut into his shirt. 

"Uh-" Louis began, unsure of what to say. He turned to look at the guy who had ran into him, who was about his height, blonde, and unbelievably still eating the doughnut, even though it had lost a good amount of it's powdered sugar onto Louis' shirt. 

"Sorry, there, mate. Wasn't watching where I was going, it's too early for this, you know?" The guy said around his mouthful of doughnut. 

Louis nodded, "It's horrendously early. I could use at least five more hours of sleep." 

It was probably a bad idea to complain to someone the second you get on the site for a job, but Louis couldn't help himself, and the man seemed very nice and easy going. It didn't hurt if he was just agreeing with him, right? 

"These things always take all day, though, so I guess it's better to start early than to be here until one a.m., finishing up final shots." 

"It really takes that long?" Louis questioned. He had no experiences with music videos, and he had no time frame to expect, but he hadn't guessed it would be that long. It was only four minutes of footage, by the end of it. 

"Definitely. A lot of times if even takes multiple days. This one shouldn't, though, it's fairly simple. Have you never worked on a music video, then?" The guy asked. 

"No. I'm just a student, here for a project?" Louis questioned, even though it wasn't really a question. "I really have no clue what's going on today, at all." 

The other guys eyebrows shot up, "Oh, are you the actor?" 

Louis shrugged, unsure what he meant by the actor. Louis was an actor. "I guess so?" He said. 

"Good thing I ran into you, then! Liam's been running around looking for you. I thought he was going to pop a vain, worrying so much." 

"I wasn't told to be here until seven, I'm even early," Louis defended himself. 

"Yes, by any normal standards you are. Liam likes to run an hour ahead of everything else, though, and he thinks everyone follows the same mindset. No worries, by this point in his life, Liam should have learned better. I try to tell him to relax a bit, doesn't always work. We can go find him now. I'm Niall, by the way. In the backing band for Harry." 

"I'm Louis," Louis offered, smiling. He liked Niall, even if he got powdered sugar all over him. He seemed like a cool guy, someone Louis could see himself being friends with. 

"Nice to meet you, Louis. Now let's go on our Liam hunt," Niall said, before wandering off, cutting through groups of people who all appeared to be working on something. Louis didn't realize it took so many people to work on a music video, and they hadn't even started filming yet. 

Niall led them through several rooms, occasionally greeting people with a smile or a nod, before he said, "Ah, there's the man! Payno, I've got something for you." 

The man Niall addressed, who was standing in a group with two other people, talking very quickly, seemed very business like. "Not now, Niall, I don't need anything to eat, I have a lot to do." 

Niall laughed and gestured to Louis, "If you're so busy, should I just tell our actor here to go home? 'Sorry, mate, can't actually film the video today, Liam's too worried about the color of the chair in the background shot.'" 

Liam's eyes snapped to Louis, a relieved look taking over his face, "Thank god you're here, I was afraid we'd never get started, and then, of course, we couldn't get the video done on time, and I'd be in so much trouble, I'd probably get fired-" 

"Liam, calm down, it's just turning seven now, he's on time, and they could never fire you, you do more work than anyone around here. Why don't you explain to Louis what he's doing, he seems a bit confused," Niall interrupted Liam, saving them from what appeared to be a long rant. 

Liam nodded, "Yes, good thinking, thank you. Okay, hello, you're Louis?" 

Louis nodded and stuck his hand out for Liam to shake, "And you're Liam?" 

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm Harry's personal assistant, which means I'm in charge of organizing a lot of this, so excuse me if I'm a bit jumpy. It's a rough day for me," Liam explained. His eyes were extremely earnest, and Louis thought he seemed very nice, just a little uptight. 

Niall laughed loudly, "You get this stressed every day, doesn't matter what it is. The other day I thought I'd have to admit you to the hospital because we were late to dinner by five minutes." 

"That was a very important dinner, shut up," Liam snapped, and Louis laughed at that. Liam and Niall were obviously close friends. "Anyways, thank you for coming, and on such short notice, too. See, we hadn't planned on having any actors, we were going to have Harry do the entire video, but he decided, two weeks before the video, that he didn't want to act. Put us in a bit of a tough spot, but luckily, we found the program at your university. Anyways, enough of that, do you have any idea what the music video is about?" 

Louis shook his head, "The only information I got was to be here at 7, and that I was doing a music video. Nothing else." 

"Oh, that's probably my fault, I'm sorry. Come on, follow me, I'll show you where we'll film most of it," Liam went through a door on his left, which led to a bedroom with a big window in it. 

"Long story short, you're going to be messing around in this hotel. Not terribly bad, just stuff like ripping the sheets of the bed, running around, playing football, whatever. And while you're doing that, it will switch to Harry, chilling out, and singing. Pretty simple, and the director will explain the rest," Liam said. 

"Sounds simple enough," Louis commented. And he was right. Four hours later, he was downstairs, getting filmed walking through the kitchens, as he threw fruit at the bodyguards that followed him. He was playing a famous band member, stuck in the hotel, entertaining himself however he could. He had been dressed up to look how they wanted him too, and they had even had someone do his hair and makeup. They had used a hair spray that smelled like fruit, which Louis had loved. He considered taking the bottle for himself. After he looked sufficient enough, he had been lead to the hotel room where he had filmed a few scenes. After he was finished with those, they had moved on to other parts of the hotel, like the kitchen where he currently was. It was a pretty easy gig, and he actually found himself having fun. 

"Heads up, Liam," Louis called as he threw an orange to where Liam was standing, to the right of the camera. Liam was too shocked to move, and it hit him right in the middle of the chest, which caused Louis to fall into a fit of laughter. He had already learned that Liam was extremely fun to fuck with. 

"Louis, come on, stay focused," Liam scolded, staring down at the orange in betrayal. 

"I am perfectly focused, just playing my role, aren't I? Think I'm doing a wonderful job, if I do say so myself." 

"He's going great!" Niall called from the side. He had followed them around for most of the shooting, since they backing band wasn't needed until the very last scene they were filming that say. He chatted with Liam, or joked with Louis, managing to keep the entire process pleasant and light. 

Liam turned to glare at Niall, "Don't you have something you could be doing? Besides disrupting the our filming?" 

Niall held his hand up to his chest, his mouth dropping open, pretending to be offended, "I just came down just now to tell you guys lunch is ready now, and that it'd be a good time to stop, but Mr. Grumpy Pants just hurt me so much that I might have to lock myself in a room and eat all the food myself. Eat my pain away, you know." 

"Lunch?" Louis asked, very pleased by the notion. He hadn't eaten anything yet, and he was actually a bit tired from all the running around he had done. He had yet to hear the song the video was for, he didn't even know who the artist was, but he was interested in how it related to the video. At this moment, though, he was way more interested in food. He walked over to Niall. "Liam might not want lunch, but I sure as hell do. Lead the way, good man." 

Niall grinned and nodded, "Right this way." 

Niall led them back up to the floor where Louis had began the day, and now there were several different food trays scattered around. Liam was lingering behind them, obviously upset that they had stopped filming, but evidently not so much so that he wasn't interested in food. 

"Come on, lighten up," Niall said, turning around to poke Liam in the cheek. "They have the good cheeseburgers that I know you love." 

Louis noticed Liam's face light up considerably at that, and he marched off in search of the cheeseburgers. Niall grinned fondly and went to find his own food. Louis decided instead of getting food right away, he would search for a bathroom, since he hadn't had a chance to go at all since they had started filming. He found the bathroom, and was somehow still surprised at how nice it was. The entire hotel was nice, he should stop being shocked by this point. The row of sinks was covered in sparkly granite, which Louis assumed was expensive. It even smelled nice, like fresh flowers, and Louis thought it was a bit extra for a bathroom, but he did enjoy it. Once he was washing his hands, he even discovered that the soap was nice, and his hands felt softer after using it. He wanted to order some for himself. 

Just as he was about to exit, the door swung open, and almost hit him in the face. He stumbled backwards, out of the way, and was just able to catch himself on the sink before he fell. 

"Oops," The person who entered said. 

Oops? That was it? No apology for almost knocking Louis over? He was fully prepared to give a life changing lecture on what an asshole move that was when he looked over to see the offending person. All the words left his mouth when he saw how attractive the other man was. Long, dark curls that Louis imagined his sisters might be jealous of, and a wonderful facial structure, all on top of a taller, lean body. 

"Hi," Louis said, with a lack of anything else to say. 

The stranger saw Louis' stance, still using the sinks to support his weight, and gasped, "Did I almost knock you over? I'm sorry, oh no, are you okay?" The man asked, his voice deep, with an English accent that was incredibly soothing to Louis. Everything about the man kept getting better and better, as Louis noticed his outfit. His shirt was patterned with leaves, and almost looked like a pajama top to Louis, and was paired with wonderfully tight black jeans. On any other being in the world, Louis would probably think it was a bit ridiculous, but this man pulled it off so well. 

"I'm fine, you just startled me a bit," Louis answered, regaining some of his wit. As he looked at the man longer, something was familiar about him. "Not to be weird, but why do I recognize you?" 

"Uh," The man began, a confused look in his eyes. "Uh, well, I mean this is the set of the video for my song, so, I mean." 

Everything clicked into place in Louis' head. He remembered hearing Niall and Liam say the name Harry, and he also recalled hearing about the singer Harry Styles, in the news, from his little sisters, and on the radio. 

"Oh, you know, that makes sense. Sorry, they don't tell me much here. I'm the actor, name's Louis," Louis introduced himself. 

Harry smiled, "Nice to meet you, I'm glad you could work with us today. I'm terribly sorry that I backed out so late, I hope that didn't put you in a bad position or anything." 

"I think they only reason why I have a job is because you backed out, so I think I'm pretty thankful for that," Louis joked. "Anyways, I'm glad I got to meet you, and thank you for giving me the job, but I should probably leave you to do your business. See you around!" 

Louis exited the bathroom before he could say anything else. He didn't know how to properly function in front of someone like Harry Styles, especially not when he was that damn attractive. 

Louis found Liam and Niall sitting at a table, and he slid into one of the empty chairs. "You know, the entire time I've been here, no one thought to mention to me that the video was for Harry Styles. People are actually going to watch this! Lots of them! And they're going to see me!" 

"That's kind of the point of the music video, for people to watch it," Liam pointed out. 

Louis pointed a finger at him, "I like the sass, keep that up, but right now that is beside the point. Why didn't you guys say anything? I just made a fool of myself in the bathroom, ran into him and barely knew who he was!" 

Niall laughed, "That must have been entertaining, sad I missed it. But like, I guess we didn't mention it because we're so used to it. We don't see it as a big deal, I guess, so we don't feel the need to mention it. Easy to forget Harry's a big deal." 

"Speak for yourself," Liam said, crossing his arms, "I have way too much with how famous Harry is. And I happen to care a lot about this music video, it is a huge deal, it wonderful promo for the album and can hopefully lead to an-" 

Niall shoved a couple fries in Liam's mouth to stop him from talking, "Shush, yes, I've heard, again and again, the amount you care about these type of things is amazing, eat your lunch now." 

Liam's eyes were wide, startled by what Niall had done, while Niall just looked more content now that Liam was done talking. 

"Anyways," Niall said to Louis as he held another fry up to Liam's mouth, now feeding him playfully instead of forcing him, which surprised Louis to see Liam going along with. "now you know, this is for Harry's song, and millions of people are going to see your pretty face running around, causing trouble." 

"Mind if I join?" A new, familiarly deep voice asked. Louis didn't have to look to know it was Harry. 

"You know it's okay with us," Niall said to Harry, gesturing to the empty seat, which just happened to be beside Louis. "This is Louis, by the way, but I guess you know that because of your bathroom adventures." 

"Where in the hell did you come up with bathroom adventures?" Louis questioned. "Literally all I said was I ran into him in there." 

"But the journey of your discovery of who he is was truly an adventure," Niall retorted. 

Louis raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, while Harry laughed, and Liam took his turn to shove fries in Niall's mouth. "I think that's enough from you," he said as he did it. Niall just happily munched on the fries. 

"How have your parts gone today, Haz?" Liam questioned. 

Harry leaned back in his chair and fiddled with the water bottle he held in his hands. "Good so far, good practice at my moody face." 

Harry pulled a serious, deep in thought expression for a few moments before he broke out into a smile. "See?" 

"Very good," Niall complimented. 

"It's been going well for us too, for the most part. Louis is a bit of a handful," Liam said, back to business. 

"Excuse you, I happen to know you enjoy it. I have brought new levels of fun and joy into your life these past few hours. I bet I made you regret never having a pal like me before now. I'm life changing." 

"Oh, and we're pals now? Who said that?" Liam retorted. 

"Ah, see, I like the sass, Liam, like the sass, keep it up," Louis smiled at him. He turned to Harry to finish, "But really, Liam is understating just how amazing I am, I am bring such life and emotion to your music video. You'll probably cry when you see my stunning performance the first time." 

Harry smiled at him, "I have no doubt in your abilities." 

"See, Liam, that's how you're supposed to treat me! Where did you learn your manners from anyways? Niall?" 

"Yes, actually," Harry said, "Have you seen how they behave around each other? Liam tries to fool you into thinking he's all professional, and then you get him around Niall and they bring out the worst in each other, I swear." 

"Hey, I think he brings out the best in me!" Niall defended. Liam nodded in agreement. 

"I don't know you that well," Louis said, "But what I can see, you are much looser around Niall. More snappy, too. I love it." 

"He's usually just more snappy toward me, it's not as much fun as you think," Niall complained. 

"Fun to watch," Harry said softly, mostly to Louis. Louis laughed, and Liam and Niall looked at them, their eyes questioning. 

"What was that, Harry?" Niall asked. 

Harry smiled brightly, "Nothing." 

"I don't trust you, you're an awful liar, I can see right through you," Liam commented. 

"I don't know what you're talking about boys, I'm sitting right beside him, I would have heard him, wouldn't I?" Louis pointed out. He was an actor, he was much better at hiding things. 

Liam and Niall both gave him skeptical looks, but let it go for the time being. Harry and Louis shared a quick smile between each other. 

Fifteen minutes later, Louis was rushed back downstairs by Liam, so they could finish filming his scenes. He bid goodbye to Harry and Niall, still in a little bit of disbelief that he just ate lunch with Harry Styles. He was pretty sure Lottie might murder him, if it meant she got to take his place. He couldn't wait to tell her. Even more surprising was how normal it all was, just like an average lunch Louis would have with Zayn or his friends from school. 

The rest of the scenes he filmed were easy and quick, apparently the easier stuff was saved for the afternoon. Louis was finished by three, but he had to stay to film one final scene on the rooftop at night. Luckily, he found Niall after a few minutes of walking around the hotel with nothing to do, and was able to hang out with him for the rest of the day. 

"You've been on tour practically everywhere, haven't you?" Louis asked as they rode the elevator down to the first floor to explore it some more, even if Louis felt he had already seen almost everything by filming there. 

Niall nodded, "I'm from Ohio originally. I auditioned to be in Harry's band for his first U.S. tour, and they haven't gotten rid of me since. They're stuck with me. But yeah at first, it was a huge shock for me to go to places like California, heck, I was even impressed by St. Louis, and now I have literally been all over the world. Asia. Europe. Australia. South America. It's sweet." 

"I imagine so. I'm from about an hour from here, and I thought it was a big deal when I moved to LA for school. But, god, that's nothing, is it?" 

"It's all relative," Niall said as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. 

 

 

"Hello." 

Louis was startled from his intense gaze on his phone screen, looking up to see Harry standing in front of him. "Hey. Aren't you supposed to be filming something right now?" 

They were on the rooftop, Louis had just finished his final scene, full of him running around the room, dancing like a dork, and he had loved it. He only hoped it looked as fun as it had felt. He had stuck around, even thought he was done, because he felt like he should be there until the end, to wrap up the day. They only had one more scene to film, anyways, just Harry singing and dancing slightly on the roof, with his band behind him. It was the only reason Niall had to be there that day, he had found out earlier, but he had a feeling he had been there earlier than necessary in order to keep Liam company. Even if Liam had spent most of the day shooing Niall away form whatever he was doing. Louis was pretty sure something was going on between them. 

"They had to fix a camera, so I get a bit of a break," Harry replied. 

Louis nodded, "Nice, nice. So how has your day been, Mr. Harry Styles?" 

He smiled, "It's been wonderful. I can't thank you enough for being here today. You probably already know that I was originally supposed to do your part, too."   
Louis nodded, urging Harry to continue. 

Harry pushed his hair out of his face and looked straight ahead. "And I know you probably think I'm some diva or something, refusing to act for my own music video, especially so close to filming, which might be a bit true, but I wanted to tell you my side, if you'd be okay with that?" 

Louis said that first thought that crossed his mind, "Why does it matter to you what I think? I'm just one person, surely it doesn't matter?" 

Only after he said it, and Harry's eyes flicked to him before quickly turning downward, did Louis realize how rude his words sounded. He didn't mean them in a bad way, he was just genuinely curious to why Harry cared what he thought. 

"I really did have reasons for not wanting to play those parts," Harry said, not answering Louis' question. 

"Sorry, that didn't come out right," Louis explained. "You can tell me your reasons, I'll listen. I'll even refrain from asking any more stupid questions." 

Harry laughed and shook his head. "Not a stupid question, just ill advised. I'm still human, you know? I care just as much of what people think of me, but there are just so many more people who have opinions on me. A lot of them are based on incorrect assumptions, you know? So even though I care, I have to ignore a lot of them, just to keep myself sane." 

Louis nodded, starting to understand his point. 

"Anyway, that's part of the reason why I didn't want to be your character. I already have a bit of a reputation of some sleazy guy who sleeps with anyone, people assume I have no morals. They think I just use people, and that I'm constantly breaking hearts because I have no soul. If my music video showed me trashing a hotel room, causing trouble all around, people would automatically think that's how I actually was. Like this video was some autobiographical piece. And that's so far from the truth, I'd never be that disrespectful. So I wanted to distance myself from the role, show that I'm not like that." 

"Is that really what people would think?" Louis questioned. 

"A good amount would." 

"I'm sorry," Louis replied, not knowing what else to say. 

"It's okay. As I said, I'm very grateful that you could be here. You're really helping me. At the very least, you made me feel a lot better about this video." 

"No big deal, just doing my job," Louis shrugged. 

"Thank you, anyways." 

Louis nodded, and patted him on the back. "I don't know about other people, but based on the little bit I know about you, you seem like a great guy. It really sucks if people can't see that." 

Harry looked up and met Louis' eyes, for the first time in a few minutes. His smile was wide. "I'm glad you think so." 

Harry was called back to shooting shortly after that and he left with a small wave, his smile still resting on his face. Louis waved back, and spent the rest of the time actually watching the filming of the final scene instead of getting his phone back out. It was extremely entertaining to watch Harry wobble around, singing to the camera.


	2. Chapter 2

"How was your day, my successful actor of a best friend?" Zayn questioned as soon ass Louis walked into their apartment. 

He flung himself on the couch, resting his head on Zayn's lap, who quickly moved his hand and set this to the side, so Louis could get comfortable. Louis turned face up so he could look at Zayn. 

"You will never believe my day. Long story short, the sketchiest job ever turned into possibly the best career opportunity ever. It was a music video for Harry Styles, the pop star, you know?" 

Zayn's eyebrows popped up, "No fucking way."

Louis nodded excited, "Yes! And I didn't even have much of an opinion on him, he was just a famous guy, you know, I wasn't expecting him to be nice or polite or anything, but he was so amazing. He went out of his way to talk to me to try to make me understand why he didn't play the part himself. He actually cared what I thought about him. And I met some of his friends, well, coworkers, I guess, but I'm pretty sure they're also close friends, and they're just like us! Just a good bit richer and well traveled. Still, I could imagine them coming over to play video games with us, like it was nothing. " 

"Holy shit, that's unbelievable," Zayn whispered. 

"I know, I don't even believe it, and I fucking lived it. Niall even gave me his number as I was leaving, and told me we should go out for drinks sometime, have a wild time. I cannot believe it," Louis repeated.

"Was he hitting on you?" Zayn exclaimed, 

Louis laughed and shook his head, "I doubt it, I'm pretty sure he's dating Harry's manager." 

"Oh, good, because if he was hitting on you I would literally have to die. Fucking Louis Tomlinson, you're the only one I know who could manage to get such an amazing job through a simple school project, and then have an amazing time while doing it. Lucky bastard." 

"It was pure talent that got me there, baby," Louis teased. 

"Shut up," Zayn replied, pushing Louis on the couch for emphasis. 

"Watch it, I'm delicate," Louis protested form the floor. 

Zayn snorted and nudged him with his foot. "So do you think you're going to hang out with them?" 

"I really hope so, they're cool dudes. You can even come along, and it'll be a grand time! You just can't pee youself in front of Harry. It'd probably make him feel bad and he'd tried to clean you up himself. Let's avoid that." 

Zayn laughed, "I'll have to mentally prepare myself. I don't see how you didn't pee youself when you met him. You didn't even know about it ahead of time." 

"Well, that'd be hard to do considering I had just peed right before I met him," Louis pointed out. 

"Wait, did you meet Harry Styles, a legitimate famous person, in the bathroom?" 

Louis nodded and Zayn cackled out a laugh. "Of course, where else? You're life is so strange, Lou." 

"Don't I know it." 

 

 

 

"My friends and I are going to get drinks tonight if you guys are interested," Louis texted Niall later that week. He had been texting him occasionally since he got his number, and he even had Liam's number, now, who was, not surprisingly, a lot more fun to talk to when he was not in a work situation. The biggest shock, to Louis at least, was when Harry texted him. 

"Hi, it's Harry. Styles. From the music video, you know? Niall gave my your number," Harry had sent first, causing Louis to nearly fall out of his seat during a lecture. 

The girl sitting beside him glared at him, and he retorted, "You'd do the same if you got the message I just got." 

She didn't really seem to care what messages he received, and turned pointedly back to the professor. Louis made a mental note not to sit next to her anymore. 

"Hmmmmm, not ringing a bell," Louis teased, texting Harry back. He waited a few moments, enough to possibly make Harry think he actually didn't know who he was, before he sent a second message, "Of course I remember you, I don't meet many pop stars, I tend to distinctly remember the ones I do." 

After that, their conversation had progressed more than Louis could have ever imagined. At first, he felt a little awkward, unsure of what to say to someone like Harry, but after awhile he decided treating him how he would any of his other friends would be the best method. Harry was, underneath all the glamour, a male just getting out of his teenage years, just like Louis. He had to relate to him in some manner. So, Louis used a lot of teasing and sarcasm, which seemed to work wonders, because after that the conversation flowed easily. Harry responded well to Louis' teasing, and even managed to throw some back, always causing Louis to grin stupidly. Even times when he would try, and fail miserably, to make a snarky comment were sufficiently entertaining to Louis. They were possibly even more fun, and absolutely endearing. 

But even after all they had talked with each other, Louis was in no position to ask Harry if he wanted to hang out, which is why he asked Niall instead, hoping he'd bring Harry along. It was a small possibly, Louis didn't even know if Harry would be interested in going out, if he'd only get spotted by fans. Maybe he wasn't even allowed to go out, Louis honestly had no idea. But if he didn't come, he could still enjoy a night out with Niall, and probably Liam. 

"You came to the right guy, Tommo. Tell us when and where and we'll be there," Niall replied. Louis had to refrain himself from asking who 'us' applied to as he sent Niall back the details. He would just have to wait and see. 

But the possibility that Harry might be there was inspiration enough for Louis to look his best. 

"Zayn!" Louis called out. "Help! What do I wear?" 

"Something that makes your ass look good," Zayn replied automatically. Louis sighed and sifted through his collection of jeans, waiting for Zayn to caught the hint and come help him pick out a suitable outfit. After a few minutes, Louis gave up on waiting for him, and went out into the living room, only to find Zayn sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, making no attempts to get up and help Louis. 

Louis took matters into his own hands. He grabbed the remote off the coffee table, turned the television off, and then shoved it down the front of his pants, before he ran back to his room. 

"You can have it back after you find me a good outfit," Louis offered as Zayn followed him into his room, glaring out him, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"How about I have it back now and you stop being a dick?" Zayn asked. 

"Nope, that's a no go," Louis replied. He threw open his closet doors and said, "Get to work." 

"You're a fucking menace, you know?" Zayn asked, shaking his head. "What's the occasion, anyways?" 

"Nothing, we're just going out tonight and I want to look good, is there anything wrong with that?" 

"Cut the crap, I know there's something," Zayn insisted. He flipped through Louis' shirts for a second before he turned around and nodded knowingly, "You asked Harry to come, didn't you?" 

"No!" Louis denied, looking away from Zayn and towards his floor. 

"That was a weak denial," Zayn stated. 

"I'm telling the truth. I did ask Niall. And I gave him an open invitation, so he could potentially bring Harry. And he said 'us' when he said they would come. That could just mean Liam. Or he could be bringing Harry." 

"You're ridiculous," Zayn replied. 

Louis pouted and tapped Zayn on the back, "Shush now, you have my reason, now help me find something to wear." 

Zayn ended up being Louis' savior that night, he came up with a stunning combination of Louis' best jeans, and one of his favorite shirts. He even helped Louis do his hair to make sure it was "pop star worthy". 

"I'd fuck you," Zayn said as they both looked at Louis in the big mirror in the bathroom. 

"And the Zayn seal of approval is enough to impress a more-than-likely-straight pop star?" Louis joked. Louis didn't have a crush, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little interested in Harry. He didn't know him that well, but he did like what little he knew, and his personality was extremely different than he would have guessed. Harry was clever, and funny, liked silly jokes more than anything. He was very caring and thoughtful, which Louis learned form their conversation on the roof. There wasn't much about Harry Styles not to like, it would probably actually be difficult to dislike Harry, after getting to know him. 

"You never know," Zayn replied. "Doesn't hurt to take a chance. And if it turns out he's not interested, I promise you someone there will be. You're not going home tonight alone, if you don't want to. Your outfit is a work of art." 

Louis nodded and smiled at his best friend, "That's the spirit, I like that way of thinking. Thanks for helping me, even if I had to force you," He said, patting Zayn on the arm. 

"I'd say anytime, but seriously, next time, just fucking ask first, instead of immediately being a dick," Zayn scolded as Louis finally gave him the remote back.   
"That wouldn't be nearly as fun for either of us. Or as effective," Louis commented, joining Zayn in the living room, as they waited another hour until the time they decided to meet up. 

 

 

 

They went to their normal bar, which was close to campus, and cheap enough to attract a good amount of college kids. 

Louis and Zayn found an empty booth, and they were both about half way through their first beers when Niall bounded into their booth, a drink already in his hands. "Hey! Great to see you, again! And nice to meet you, I'm Niall!" 

Zayn nodded at him, trying his best to appear cool, and calm, even in the face of the whirlwind that was Niall, and replied, "I'm Zayn." 

"Oh and I guess I'm being rude. This is the astounding, wonderful, beautiful, freakishly intelligent Liam," Niall said, smiling brightly at Liam as he pulled his arm so he would slide in beside him. "And that's Harry." 

"Wow, don't I feel special," Harry laughed, taking a seat beside Louis, instead of the other side where his friends were sitting. Louis couldn't help smile at that, because Harry was there in the first place, and that he chose to sit by Louis. 

"Harry, come on, you're okay, but you're no Liam," Niall said, wrapping his arm around Liam's waist, causing the other man to blush and smile, looking down at the table. 

"I think you're pretty decent, Harry," Louis added, turning to smile brightly at him. Harry smiled back, flashing lovely white teeth and dimples back at Louis. He was gone, already. 

Zayn nudged him hard in the side with his elbow. Louis looked at him, and saw his look that said 'Could you be anymore obvious?' and Louis decided he should possibly turn it down a little. They had been here for not even five minutes and Louis already had heart eyes. He wasn't sure if he would even be able to make it through the rest of the night. 

Niall saved Louis from having to stumble to change the conversation and said, "Being here makes me feel like a proper college kids. We don't get that much, do we, boys?" 

Harry shook his head, "Nope, I've been an adult since I was sixteen. And Liam's been an old man since primary." 

"You're just jealous I'm mature enough to technically be your boss," Liam retorted, settling further into Niall's side. 

"I'm the one who hired you, you goat," Harry replied. 

Louis laughed, "Goat? What kind of insult is that?" 

"A Harry insult. They're always very weak insults, and more often than not, more entertaining than anything else," Niall supplied. 

"Hey," Harry whined, frowning. 

"That's a good thing, you're just too nice," Liam insisted. 

"Sorry to interrupt," Zayn suddenly said, "But let's back up a second. Harry's been singing since he was sixteen, everyone knows that, but has Liam been his manager the whole time? You can't be that much older than him." 

"He's not," Harry answered. "He's not even a year older. I had a different manager for a couple years, he was shit, and I hated him, so I finally convinced my management team to let me hire someone I knew. This was a little after Liam turned eighteen, and he really didn't have nearly enough qualifications for the job, but he by far made up for it by working so hard. It's worked out magnificently, if you can't tell." 

"That's amazing," Louis replied. "When I was eighteen, I was just seeing how many alcohol I could take in one sitting." 

Harry laughed, "That's an accomplishment in itself, I'm sure." 

"You bet it is," Louis replied. "Speaking of, why's Niall the only one with a drink? I can go get you guys something." 

"Thank you, Louis," Liam said, "Niall, here, ran off to get himself one the second we got in, and was back with his drink in the blink of an eye. Didn't even consider either of us. I think he might have stolen it from some random bloke, if I'm honest." 

"You know me so well," Niall laughed, squeezing him in a show of affection, and then resting his chin on his shoulder. It was obvious that they were used to the affection, and had probably been together for awhile. 

"So two beers? I can get you something else if you want, they don't really have the widest variety here, but they've got enough," Louis asked. 

Both Liam and Harry nodded, and Louis nudged Harry so he could slide out of the booth to go get the drinks. It took longer than he expected, and by the time he got back, Zayn was in the middle of acting out some intense story. Louis was surprised and pleased that his closest friend had warmed up to his newest ones so quickly. It usually took awhile before Zayn would act like himself in front of people, which was a shame, because so many people missed out of the wonders that were Zayn. 

"And he was squealing, literally jumped on top of the table, but like not in a sitting down and sliding on top of it kind of way, no, he fucking jumped high enough. You'd think he was about to be murdered. I came running from the living room, ready to find my half dead best friend, and possibly a murderer, and all I see is that nerd crouched on top of the table, pointing at a mouse on the floor. A little tiny mouse! And I thought he was getting killed." 

Louis took that back. No one should be exposed to the horrors that are Zayn. He quickly set the drinks in front of Harry and Liam, and the leap across Harry's lap to half tackle Zayn. Zayn laughed and tried to fend him off, but Louis was too determined. He dug his hands into Zayn's sides, causing Zayn to squirm and laugh even more. 

"You do not tell that story to people I barely know! Actually, you don't tell that story to anyone! You brainwash yourself and forget that ever happened," Louis ordered. 

"I think it's a little late for that, Louis," Niall commented. 

"Oh no, you're all brainwashing yourselves now, sorry, Louis mandated, which means you have to do it," Louis insisted. He had stopped tickling Zayn, and was now awkward lying down across Harry and Zayn's laps. The table stopped him from being able to easily sit up in his seat, but he was too far in to get out of the booth easily. He turned around, trying his best to sit up, and Harry laughed softly, then helped him maneuver his legs so they were under the table, and then Louis was more or less upright. 

"Thank you. I think you just earned your place as my favorite. Zayn, you're out, that's what you get for being an asshole," Louis said. 

"What a shame," Zayn said, with blatant sarcasm. 

"That's it, now Liam and Niall are higher than you, too! I don't even think we can live together anymore. Who wants to move in with me?" Louis asked, looking around at the table. 

"No one wants to live with you, Tommo, you're lucky that I put up with you," Zayn informed the others, "He doesn't do shit around the apartment unless you make him. I found one of his dirty shirts in the sink the other day, under a pile of dishes. I don't even go in his room, I'm terrified of what I'll find." 

"Hey, it's not that bad!" Louis insisted. "I just cleaned my room last week. I didn't find a single living thing, or even any moldy food." 

"Your definition of clean is far different from a normal person's." 

"I like to clean things," Harry offered. 

"Perfect! Zayn, you're not really trying at all to regain your spot as my favorite, Harry's got it in the bag now," Louis said. 

"He's not even trying," Niall said. "He really does like cleaning. He can be very domestic, it's adorable." 

"Aw, thank you Niall," Harry replied, smiling at his friend. 

"Is this what normally happens when you guys go drinking?" Liam asked, speaking for the first time in awhile. 

Louis laughed, "Not at all. Get me drunk enough and I'll be absolutely wild. Dancing on tables, causing fights, the whole nine yards. But we have seemed to calm down over the past couple years. Randomly dancing with strangers loses it appeal after awhile, doesn't it? It's more fun to have a nice chat with my friends." 

"And this has nothing to do with the lack of attractive guys here right now?" Zayn teased. 

"Oh, I guess you do have a point. And they're all probably straight, where's the fun in that?" Louis pouted. 

Harry choked on his beer a bit, and Louis' attention snapped to him. 

His face was red and his eyes were wide, likely from more than the fact that he was coughing. Louis was uncomfortable, hadn't considered that Harry might be awkward about his sexuality. 

"Do you have a problem with that?" Louis snapped at him. "Because if you do, you can leave right now, I've dealt with enough homophobic assholes in my life trying to convince me it's wrong that I fuck dudes, and I really don't want to go through that again." 

Harry's eyes got even wider, "No, no, no, no, no, not that at all." 

His voice was raspy from the coughing, and Louis felt himself relax. Okay, so maybe he got worked up for nothing. With some things, it felt like he could never be too cautious. 

Niall laughed from across the table, and gestured to himself and Liam, where Niall was still wrapped around the other boy, "You do realize we're a couple, don't you? Harry is nothing but supportive to us." 

"I got that vibe, but I didn't want to make assumptions," Louis muttered. "Just had enough of the assholes, you know? It's best to cut people like that out early." 

They all nodded in agreement. 

"All right, now that we've had that serious talk, anyone up for some more drinks?" Zayn asked. Everyone nodded. 

 

 

 

Hours later, when they were saying their goodbyes, everyone pleasantly drunk and happy. 

"We have a driver, you know, he can drive you two home," Liam offered. 

Zayn and Louis agreed, nodding happily. Avoided public transport was preferred, especially when it was late in the night. The five boys waited outside the bar together. 

Louis walked over and stood beside Harry, as they were waiting. They leaned up against the wall of the bar, a few feet away from the others. 

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you earlier," Louis said, looking ahead at the road, and rubbing the side of his neck. 

"It's okay, it was just bad timing on the cough," Harry brushed it off. 

"No, but really, I don't know you that well, but it is well enough to know you'd never be that kind of person. It was unreasonable of me to jump so harshly to conclusions. I'm just cautious, occasionally, with things like that. And I shouldn't have been to you, since I know you're a good person." Louis looked up to see Harry's reaction, and was pleased to find him smiling. Louis smiled back, his cheeks almost hurting from how happy, and drunk, he was. 

"Thank you," Harry replied, his eyes glittering from the streetlights. 

Louis felt something brush against his hand that was sitting on the wall between them, and was surprised to see that it was Harry's own hand. Louis didn't dare move, and Harry paused for a second, before he ran his fingertips down the back of Louis' hand. 

To Louis, it felt like he debated whether or not to flip his hand over for centuries, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. He knew what he wanted to do, he's not one to pass up the opportunity to hold a cute guy's hand, so of course he allowed Harry access to his hand, palm up and fingers loosely spread. Harry pressed their palms together, interlacing their fingers. His hand felt nice, warm, almost soft, and bigger than Louis'. He felt content, and safe. 

Louis had no idea what it meant, but he decided not to analyze it yet, and simply enjoy the moment. 

Their hands stayed laced together when the car came, and even in the car, Harry helping Louis in. They only broke apart when the car stopped in front of Louis' and Zayn's apartment. 

"Bye, guys," Niall said, waving. 

Zayn waved back, and Louis looked towards Harry, to see what he would have to say. 

"I'll see you around, right?" Harry asked, softly. just to Louis. He nodded, and then Harry waved him goodbye, happily. 

Louis passed out on his bed fifteen minutes later, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some usual notes that there are a lot of things I don't know, so inaccuracies are very likely. Also, an entire book of apologies for taking so long on this. The worst part is that I've had this far written for months, and I just hadn't had the time/motivation to edit it. The next week and a half are going to be jammed packed, with the end of semester and finals, and moving back home and everything, but after that, it'll be summer break, so I should have tons of time to write! Yay!
> 
> Let me know what you thought about this!!! Do you like the characters? Do you like the story idea? Do you like where it's headed? Let me know whatever you think!
> 
> And lastly, but most importantly, thank you so much for reading this, and special thanks to anyone who comments/kudos/bookmarks/subscribes/whatever, you're the best, I love you all, thank you!!!
> 
> (And one final note because I talk too much, my tumblr is [louiswolves](http://louiswolves.tumblr.com/), always feel free to come talk to me over there!!! And if you have any short, cute, or fun fic ideas that you would like me to write, let me know, and I might! I love prompts, especially ones that lead to really cute little stories. Those are my favorite)

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you liked this.
> 
> I don't know if anyone who will ready this has read any of my older works, but if you are reading Falling Sideways, for example, I promise I'll finish that, I know it's been awhile, I've just been focusing on other things recently. Also, I'm going to try a lot harder on future fics, because really all of my old ones are a mess I am so embarrassed, hahaha. Always improving, though, and that's what matters, right? I'm still writing, I'll probably never stop, even if I always suck.
> 
> I have been working on this for awhile, and I wanted to write all of it at once, and post it as one whole thing, but I was focusing on finishing it so much that I'm missing out on real life work a bit (like I have several projects that I should be working on instead of writing this) so I decided I post it in chapters, because writing is easier for me this way. I have about 30k written right now, and I have actually no idea how long this fic will be. This one is strange for me to write, I have no idea what to expect. Like I had originally planned for side Ziall, because I love it, but Niam just happened. 
> 
> Basically, thank you for reading and I'm sorry for the long note. Let me know what you think!


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